Effect of practice restriction, physician supervision on anesthesia patient safety
Editor's Note Scope of practice restrictions and physician supervision requirements for nurse anesthetists have no impact on anesthesia patient safety, this study finds. Examining 5.7 million anesthesia cases, researchers found that anesthesia complications differed significantly with: patient characteristics patient comorbidities the procedures being administered. Complication odds did not differ by…
Predictors of persistent opioid use after total joints
Editor's Note Many total hip and knee patients are still taking opioid pain medication up to 6 months after surgery, finds this study. The study identifies several predictors for persistent opioid use: Of patients taking opioids before surgery, 53% of total knee and 35% of total hip patients were still…
NYC hospital downsizing in response to changes in care models
Editor's Note New York City’s (NYC’s) 825-bed Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital will close in 4 years and be replaced by a much smaller 70-bed facility while expanding outpatient surgery, primary care, and behavioral health services, the May 25 New York Times reports. Officials blame the high cost of health…
Vulnerable hospitals and unintended consequences of the Affordable Care Act
Editor's Note Vulnerable status of hospitals is linked to higher readmission rates after major cancer surgery, this study finds. Of 355 hospitals analyzed, safety net hospitals and high Medicaid hospitals had higher 30-day, 90-day, and repeated readmissions. The findings reinforce the need to account for socioeconomic variables in risk adjustments…
Predictors for developing multiple postop complications
Editor's Note Nearly half of general surgery patients with postoperative complications have multiple complications, finds this study. Of more than 470,000 patients in the analysis, the overall complication rate was 15%, with multiple complications in 27,032. Strongest predictors for developing multiple complications were admission from chronic care facility or nursing…
FDA: Medtronic recalls battery pack used on patient monitors because of fire risk
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 27 classified the recall by Medtronic of its Capnostream 20 and Capnostream 20p patient monitor battery packs as Class I, the most serious. The recall is being initiated because a manufacturing defect causes an increase in temperature in the battery…
Risk factors linked to CRE transmission via contaminated duodenoscopes
Editor's Note In patients having endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with a contaminated duodenoscope, biliary stent placement, a diagnosis of bile duct cancer, and hospital inpatient status were independently associated with an increased risk of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) transmission, this study finds. The findings were based on data from a 2015…
Proposed rule grants full practice authority to APRNs working at VA hospitals
Editor's Note The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on May 25 published a proposed rule that would amend its medical regulations to permit full practice authority without the clinical oversight of physicians to all of its advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). APRN categories include certified nurse practitioner, certified registered nurse…
Bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotic found in US
Editor's Note Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 27 reported the first US case of Escherichia coli (E coli) bacteria that is resistant to colistin, a last-resort antibiotic, Reuters reports. A 49-year old woman in Pennsylvania was found last month to have a urinary tract…
Cost-effectiveness of free colonoscopy for high-risk uninsured
Editor's Note Performing free colonoscopies for uninsured patients at high risk for colorectal cancer can identify cancers at an earlier stage and is cost neutral for a health system, this study finds. Of 682 uninsured patients screened, 9 cancers ( 1 stage 0, 3 stage I, 2 stage II, and…
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- ASC improves hospital efficiency, maintains outcomes despite higher-acuity joint replacement patients
- Hospital support staff cuts raise risk of infection, delays in care
- Study: Blocking stress-linked prolactin surge relieves postoperative pain in women
- Report ranks states by nursing opportunity
- Report: Hospitals double down on ASCs as outpatient shift accelerates
- Centralized waitlists slash joint replacement wait times in Canada, study shows
- Airborne bacteria pose hidden threat in cardiac ORs, study warns
- Simulation-based training boosts scrub nurses’ confidence in OR non-technical skills
- New AHRQ toolkit empowers OR teams to cut MRSA, SSI risk
- Study: Long working hours alter brain regions tied to emotion, cognition